The Natural

At only 8 games back, it could be quite possible for the Tigers to make the playoffs. However, if they make it and the Devil Rays make it (the wild card is a distinct possibility), it would probably cause some sort of rending of the space/time continum, because I don't think that the fabric of the universe can handle the strain of the Pistons and Lightning winning their respective championships and the Tigers and Rays making the playoffs.

Even if all three make it will you still be going nuts after the series?

Ah hope springs eternal...

the reason I want one of the three in the playoffs is that regardless of the outcome, it will make an interesting and gripping post-season for me to enjoy, win or loose. I don't wanna see some stupid post season with like, Tampa Bay and the Yankees playing for the pennant. If that happens, who the heck cares?

I suppose I'd get into the WS a little of St. Louis made it in there, 'cause I do have a passing support for them...

The Devil Rays and the Yankees playing for the pennant would make for a compelling underdog story, especially if the Rays won, or maybe I should say that it would make a compelling story if anybody bothered to watch. I mean, no team that was as bad as the Rays were in the beginning of the season (18 games below .500) has ever finished the season with a winning record, much less made the playoffs, and if the Yankees could get knocked out of the playoffs by the Devil Rays, that would be a David and Goliath story par excellence.

But, since virtually nobody cares about the Devil Rays, not even in this area (people paid attention when they were trying to get back to .500 and then promptly started ignoring them again), so if the series were to get any sort of decent TV ratings, it would require the biggest mass bandwagon jump in the history of sports. (I must say, I really don't get why it is that everybody ignores the Rays, because getting a baseball team was a local obsession for as long as I can remember, and it's not like we aren't used to rooting for terrible teams).

I think the Rays/Yankees series would get a lot of hype being that Steinbrenner is from TB and absolutely requires that the Yankees beat them when ever they play. To Steinbrenner, the season series with the Rays is almost more important than the Red Sox, I did say almost. The news media would be sure to jump on that and hype up a division series or an alcs so much, I think people would be compelled to watch.

Plus it is almost an intrastate rivalry, you know, with all of the displaced New Yorkers now posing as Floridians.

My guess is that if the Rays make the playoffs, a bunch of the Yankee fans in this area are going to jump ship and jump on the Rays bandwagon. This area has a love/hate relationship with George Steinbrenner and the Yankees. Tampa is the Yank's spring training home, so people in Tampa proper tend to have a soft spot for the team (same way I have a soft spot for the Pirates, since they have had their spring training home in my town since the '60s). Plus, George does do all sorts of great stuff for the area--he gives all sort of financial support for the state baseball championships, he bought up most of the Lightning playoff tickets that hadn't been sold by game day and gave them to soliders and their families stationed at MacDill AFB, and he does all sorts of charitable work in the community. On the other hand though, he owns the Yankees, and he spends insane amounts of money to get players that no other team can afford to compete with.

F00k the Cubs.